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Recycling Rates Are Up—Let’s Finish the Year Strong!

As of the end of the third quarter of 2017, the region’s overall year-to-date recycling rate is 23.6 percent. This is 0.4 percent above the 2017 recycling goal and 1 percent higher than the rate at this time in 2016!

This is a great accomplishment for the local solid waste industry. Nationally, the recycling industry has faced challenges including lightweighting of materials, a decline in the number of brokers and recycling commodity prices, and contamination in the single-stream.

“Our recycling rates are heading in the right direction, and we want to thank the community for their dedication and understanding of the importance of recycling. We also want to thank all of the haulers and the material recycling facilities for their hard work to continue to increase the amount of material we recycle. We will continue to work to bring underachieving haulers into compliance and increase our overall recycling rate,” states Sustainability Coordinator Jessica Sexe.

The year isn’t over yet, and Sioux Falls residents are encouraged to help us finish the year strong by recycling right. This includes cans made of steel, tin, and aluminum; plastic bottles, tubs, and jugs; clean cardboard and cartons; glass bottles and jars; paper; bagged shredded paper; and bagged plastic bags. All items should be placed loose (unbagged) in your recycling bin. Never put medical, food, pet, or human waste in the recycling bin. Electronics, hazardous waste, Styrofoam, ceramics, porcelain, toys, clothing, and garden hoses do not belong in the recycling bin.